The odd battle over City Council forums and who should be allowed to air them on Scottsdale Channel 11 continues with two developments:
-- Lamar Whitmer, chair of the Channel 11 Programming Commission, voted to ban all forums last week. He was in the minority. A few days later, he decided he wanted to add his own forum.
Whitmer sent this email to Dennis Grzelak, who manages Channel 11 operations:
"I...

Sixteen Republicans are running for Congress in two Northeast Valley districts.
Fifteen oppose the Dream Act. The 16th said she didn't know enough to form an opinion.
I understand that anything suggesting "amnesty" is anathema in Republican politics this year, but why is there such resistance to getting a return on our investment?
The Dream Act would create a path to citizenship for children...

When I moved to Arizona, one of the first things I did was register to vote. Better to drop a few drops of ink than buckets of blood to keep representative government strong.
But before I registered, I checked state law to find out if independents could vote in primary elections. They can.
I have no interest in registering with either party, for personal and professional reasons.
But I have less...

Shawnna Bolick is making a quick mark in Arizona politics.
In her first political race, she raised more than $83,000 through the end of May. That’s the fourth highest total for a legislative candidate, trailing only Speaker of the House Kirk Adams ($177,041), longtime Tempe City Councilman Ben Arredondo ($96,743) and four-term Rep. Michele Reagan ($89,201).
The reports were due...

Politicians, wrapped in their election battles, are already telling voters of the horrors or advances to come because of the national health-insurance reform law passed by Congress.
Step away from the political arena, though, and that absolute confidence disappears. Northeast Valley health leaders see more haze than clarity.
"There is as much turbulence now as any time in my 30 years,"...

John Sather is an architect. But when he won the job of planning the Desert Discovery Center, design was the last thing on his mind.
Instead, he spent time at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve's Gateway access where the long-dreamed-of center is supposed to go.
"I wanted to think about it as the experience rather than as designing a building," Sather said. "What are we discovering?"
It...

A couple of weeks ago, a landscaping crew pulled onto a vacant lot at Shea and Frank Lloyd Wright boulevards. Before they could trim shrubbery, they had to pull down a dozen or more campaign signs cluttering the private property. Ward. Blaire. Leff. Robbins. Reagan. Schweikert. Bitter Smith. All yanked up and discarded.
The property remained clear for all of a week and a half. In...

For another example of how polarized Arizona politics has become, consider a fundraiser scheduled tonight (June 15) at the Arizona Biltmore.
It was organized by people who want a more business-friendly Legislature, one that will pass a jobs bill and end Clean Elections. They invited 10 Republican and two Democrat candidates to meet business leaders who donated $2,500 to attend.
The criteria...

There was no better place to hold the memorial for Scottsdale City Councilman Tony Nelssen than the Equidome at WestWorld.
This is where everything he treasured about Scottsdale comes together: the equestrian culture, with the McDowell Sonoran Preserve as backdrop. No could-be-anywhere steel-and-glass buildings detract from the view. Tourists looking for the Old West come close...

"In lane six, Josh Leger," the announcer intoned. I lifted my video camera, hit the record button and felt an odd sadness.
Josh was lined up for the state championship in the 110-meter high hurdles. When the starter fired his gun, our youngest son's athletic career would have 15 seconds left.
He would have two weeks remaining in high school.
And his mother and I would have less than three...

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